J. Antall szerk.: Medical history in Hungary 1972. Presented to the XXIII. International Congress of the History of Medicine / Orvostörténeti Közlemények – Supplementum 6. (Budapest, 1972)
E. Réti: Darwin's Influence on Hungarian Medical Thought (1868—1918) 157 J. Antall, A. Faiudy and K. Kapronczay: József Fodor and Public Health in Hungary
i /¡_ 2 Medical History in Hungary 1972 (Comm. Hist . Artis Med. Suppl. 6.) the first in Europe to organize courses for training medical officers for schools. He led this special course in his institute between 1885 and 1901—as it has been mentioned before —and during this period he trained 360 medical officers of schools and teachers of public health. 3 0 Mention should be made of his book of public health written to secondary schools 3 1 which was used in Hungary for a long time. He expanded his views on the social welfare of schools and the office of the medical officers of schools in the Communications of the National Association of Pedagogues of Secondary Schools, pointing out that both the control of the hygienic conditions of schools, and the teaching of hygiene is the task of physicians. The last work of his life was his suggestion on the " Tisztiorvosi kiképzés és minősítés reformjáról" (Reforms relating to the training and qualification of medical officers). 3 2 There he exactly defined the tasks and duties of the district — county — and municipal medical officers of health, and suggested the separation of the work of medical officers from the sphere of activity of practitioners and urged the establishment of hygienic laboratories in each office of medical officers. He stressed the importance of both training and the setting up of national organization of medical officers of health. After the scientific career of the health-reformer starting from the urging demands of his country, and the presentation of his contribution to science, let us turn our attention towards Fodor as a keen observer of public health affairs abroad, his views on the English institutions and Fodor as a scientist of wide international relations. FODOR AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN ENGLAND Fodor went to England in a period when public health was regarded as an integral part of social progress and became a matter general political, legislative and administrative concern. The second generation of health reformers after Chadwick were not only aware of the "national prevalence of sanitary neglect" but realized the urgent need of an institutionalized state control of public health. They focused their efforts on the centralization of health administration, the result of which was the rise of a more and more effective sanitation and hygiene. 3 3 Sir John Simon (1816 —1904) the first medical officer of health for the City of London (Oct. 1848), later medical officer of the 3 0 Egészségtan és egészségügy a középiskolákban. (Hygienics and public health in secondary schools). Középiskolai Tanáregyesület Közlönye, 1886. 3 1 Egészségtan a középiskolák felső osztályai számára. (Public Health text-book for secondary schools). Budapest 1886. 3 2 Eggenberger, 1898. 3 3 For the most recent studies on public health affairs in England in the second half of the 19th century see: Ruth G. Hodgkinson, The Origin of the National Health Service (The Medical Services of the New Poor Law, 1834-1871). London 1967. — Medicine and Science in the 1860s, Proceedings of the Sixth British Congress on the History of Medicine, September, 1967. ed. by F. N. L. Poynter, London 1968.